What Kind of Leader Are You?

When I talk with someone about leadership coaching, we begin by getting to know each other.  I ask a few questions and get a sense of who they are.

“What kind of leader are you?” I typically ask.

The person’s response usually tells me quite a bit.

Some people tell me that they are “not really a leader.”  What they mean is that they do not see themselves as having the responsibility, the education, the experience, or the authority to make decisions for a group of people.  They may recognize certain aspects of leadership in what they do, or say that they sometimes “do leadership things.”  People around them may have told them that they were leaders, but that does not fit with how they experience themselves.

Others give me a comprehensive, concise summary of leadership and describe the ways their actions fit that description.  Many of these people have been told about leadership and are strongly motivated to be leaders.  They have an inner sense that they want to be leaders, but may have significant doubts about whether they really are.

I talk to quite a few people who believe that there are people who are leaders, and people who are not.  Many people have their own understanding of leaders and leadership, and do not recognize themselves as fitting that description.  I think this does a disservice, both to the people they see as leaders and to those they do not see as having that potential.

The most significant barriers to being a leader are within yourself.

Each person has the ability, and the responsibility, to either understand themselves as a leader, or not to see themselves in that light.  Each person has a choice to understand, and will make many other choices over time.  Those are the choices that make a difference.

How do you see yourself? What kind of leader are you?

[Image by pedrosimoes7]